Excellent, Today

Why can't you be excellent today?
What's stopping you from being excellent today?
And why haven't you figured it out yet?

These questions are simple, primitive even.
Much of my thinking of late has gone back to a single verse in Philippians.
I know it's dangerous to base anything on one verse, but I passionately believe that this verse is a theme of the life of Paul.

It says in Philippians 1:27 - "Let your manner of life be worthy of the Gospel of Christ."

This verse is huge!
It's basically asking us a question and challenging us with this: Does YOUR life make SENSE in light of the Gospel?
Does your life match the Gospel?
The way you spend your moments, and your days says much about the Gospel you believe.

What I love about sports is the striving, the straining towards a common goal.
Paul uses this imagery in his letters.
"That you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel."
"Let us run with endurance the race marked out before us."
"I run to win the prize."
"Run to win."

Why don't our lives match this?

Why are my passions so childish?

Why don't I dabble around in the sand when priceless joy is offered?

I must confess that I waste a great deal of time on meaningless things, and that is scary.

A friend of mine posted this the other day:

"One of the great uses of Twitter and Facebook will be to prove at the Last Day that prayerlessness was not from lack of time."
— John Piper

That quote is so true.
Yet it isn't expansive enough.
It should include TV, sleeping, eating, etc.
Much of the things that occupy my day are things that are NOT excellent.

If we really believe the Gospel.
If we are really passionate about the kingdom, it will change how we live our lives.

It will:
Cause us to wake up early, get on our knees, and beg God for His will to be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
It will cause us to invest in others lives.
It will move us beyond the surfacy existence that we sometimes live in, and move us into real and intimate relationship.
It will cause us to get real with ourselves about how our generation has failed.
It will cause us to get serious about world hunger, global sex trafficing, AIDS, poverty, etc.

If my live is going to make sense in light of the Gospel, lots of things have to change.

One of the story lines I've been watching is the story line of Alex Morgan in the Woman's World Cup for the USA.
She's 22.
She's exactly my age.
I don't know if she loves Jesus, but her life makes sense to me.
Her goal has been to get on the World Cup roster and to make an impact.
She did that.
Imagine the competetiveness, the drive and the work ethic behind all of that.
She graduated college early because she's such a hard worker.
Her life makes sense in light of her goal.

Why is it that so many 22 year olds in the church of Jesus Christ are looking around asking: "I wonder what God's will is for my life?"
Why is that an American thing.
22 year olds in other countries are dying daily for their faith, and we sit around waiting for "the will of God."
That's so unbiblical it's scary.
Perhaps the reason that our lives don't make sense, is that we aren't disciples anyways.

Jesus Himself says:
"Leave father and mother."
"Let the dead bury their own dead."
"Sell everything you have for the priceless treasure of the Gospel."
"Sell all you have, then you will have treasure in heaven."
"Leave everything, and then follow me."
"Take up your cross and follow me."

Perhaps the reason our lives don't make sense is because we have embraced the American gospel instead of Jesus' gospel.
We think we can make it onto the narrow road carrying things with us. Maybe we are trying to carry wealth, popularity, relationships and our dreams onto the road of Jesus.
Maybe we need to re-evaluate. Maybe we need to put down our books, and pick up THE BOOK.
Maybe we need to read the Bible to see what it really says about the Gospel.

Paul urges us to be excellent.
He begs us that our lives would make sense.

Are you living excellently today?
Does your life make sense in light of the Gospel of Jesus?